Pages

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Tuesday, October 29, 1861
To bolster morale in the dispirited regiment, Governor John Andrew of Massachusetts issued General Order Number 70, in which he offered gratitude and praise for their valiant service at Ball's Bluff. Lieutenant Colonel Palfrey read the order to the regiment at dress parade:

His Excellency John A. Andrew, Governor of Mass. desires to express through the proper channel his sincere thanks to the officers and privates of the 20th Regt. Mass. Vols. for the bravery which they displayed in the recent battle at Ball's Bluff, and for the admirable discipline which their behavior there so strongly bears evidence of. He regrets the severe loss sustained by the regiment, and deeply sympathizes with the wounded and the suffering relatives of the dead and wounded, but will assure the regiment that they have earned and own a name brilliant and glorious, and that the Bay State is proud to recognize them as sons, and as sons worthy of the Commonwealth and worthy to share past glories of the Commonwealth.

In his statement Governor Andrew intended not only to bolster morale but also to strengthen the recruiting effort through recognition of valiant service. Captain Henry Tremlett of Company A was dispatched to Boston to take charge of recruitment. The regiment hoped to acquire two hundred additional enlistments over the winter.1

Lieut. Milton, Co. G, is detailed for duty as Adjutant. They will be obeyed and respected accordingly. The non-commissioned officers and privates of Company G ready for duty are assigned to Capt. Tremlett of Company A, who ranks as senior Captain. The 1st Sergt. of Co. G, will report to Lieut. Hallowell, commanding Co. H, as 1st Sergt.

Capt Shepard of Co. K takes rank as 2nd Captain.

The non-commissioned officers and privates of Co. E are assigned to Lieut. Macy, Co. I, who ranks as 3rd Captain.

The non-commissioned officers and privates of Co. D are assigned to Lieut. Hallowell, Co. H., who ranks as 4th Captain. Sergt. Burrill of Co. H will act as 1st Lieut.

Lieut. Le Barnes of Co. B takes command of that Company and ranks as 6th Captain.

It is to be understood that the above arrangement is adopted for the present emergency; it is subject to revision at any moment and is expected to continue only till new officers can be commissioned and arrangements made for filling up the regiment. Where men are assigned in accordance with these orders, they will continue to occupy their quarters under charge of their ranking Sergeants, reporting to their commanding officers for duty.1

Thursday, October 24, 1861
Lieutenant Henry Abbott wrote a letter to his mother to reassure her that both he and his sister Caroline's fiance, Lieutenant George Perry, were not wounded at Ball's Bluff. He continued by reassuring her of his belief that George would be returned home from prison quickly:

I have written several letters already to notify the family of my whereabouts & George's, because I knew you would be so anxious ... The telegraph of course has, before this, assured [you] of my safety. George is equally safe as far as wounds go, but is undoubtedly a prisoner with the col., major, adjutant & Dr. [Edward] Revere. He will be well treated & released on paroll not to engage again in the war, which will bring him home much quicker than any thing else...

Abbott bemoaned the fate of Colonel Lee, the regimental commander captured at Ball's Bluff, “It is the col. we grieve for … All we want now is another fight to avenge his capture …”

Abbott finished the letter by expressing his concern and grief for his decimated regiment, ending with a note of optimism:

Now all I have to do is to tell you about the dead & wounded, which [is] so awful melancholy because we got licked in that infernal slaughter pen instead of whipping the scoundrels. Of the 315 men we took in ... nearly one half escaped to this side. We brought out one half [of] our company, but amongst the killed were 3 of the noblest fellows that were ever born, men that we love. However, we are cheerful as we ought to be, of course, that it was no worse…1

Thursday, October 24, 1861
The prisoner train arrived at Richmond at 9:00 A.M. The officers and enlisted of the Twentieth Massachusetts disembarked from the railroad cars and marched toward their destination, Ligon's Warehouse and Tobacco Factory, a three-story brick employed as a makeshift prison. Civilians taunted the prisoners as they progressed through the streets of Richmond. As the regiment entered Ligon’s Factory to an uncertain fate, guards directed the officers to quarters on the first floor and the enlisted men to quarters on the second and third floors.1

References:1 Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 87.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Wednesday, October 23, 1861
The prisoners of the Twentieth Massachusetts arrived at Manassas Junction at 10:00 A.M., where they were processed by name and rank and confined to a barn. After a long wait they boarded onto a train for Richmond at 7:00 P.M. Packed into cattle cars, they endured an excruciating fourteen-hour journey in a standing position for the entire trip.1

References:1Richard F. Miller, Harvard's Civil War: A History of the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Lebanon, New Hampshire: University Press of New England, 2005), 87.

Wednesday, October 23, 1861
First Lieutenant Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. of Company A wrote a letter to his mother from the Twentieth Regiment Hospital at Camp Benton. He began by reassuring her that he was recovering from his injuries, and then followed with an account of his wounding:

Here I am flat on my back after our first engagement – wounded but pretty comfortable … I was out in front of our men encouraging ‘em on when a spent shot knocked the wind out of me & I fell – then I crawled to the rear a few paces … so up I got and rushed to the front and asked if none would follow me when down I went again by the Colonel’s side – The first shot (the spent ball) struck me on the belly below where the ribs separate & bruised & knocked the wind out of me – The second time I hope only one ball struck me entering the left & coming out behind the right breast in wh. case I shall probably recover and this view is seconded by finding a ball in my clothes by the right hand wound – I may be hit twice in which case the chance is not so good – But I am now so well that I have good hopes … And now seem to think that I have a fair chance and all my friends whatever happens I am very happy in the conviction I did my duty handsomely…

He continued his letter by detailing the severity of the casualties in the regiment and ended with a touch of humor, “I can’t send a good looking note lying on my back …”1

Tuesday, October 22, 1861
The Twentieth Massachusetts prisoners continued on their progress toward Richmond. Civilians taunted them with shouts of “Kill the damned Yankees!” as they passed by homes along the route. Around 4:00 P.M. they reached the Bull Run battlefield after an exhausting sixteen-hour march. Confederate guards confined the officers in a stone house while detaining the enlisted men outside in the pouring rain. After being deprived of food for many hours, the prisoners devoured a scant meal of corn bread and raw pork. Cold and hungry, the prisoners settled in for the evening with expectations for another grueling march in the morning.1

Private Oliver Stanton Bates of Company A escaped injury and capture at the Battle of Ball's Bluff. His name does not appear on the casualty list for Ball's Bluff in the Twentieth Massachusetts Regimental History and his military records do not include a casualty sheet for wounding. In this episode he proved to be extremely resilient, as Company A reported the third highest casualties by company for the regiment, totaling 31 killed, wounded, or captured. Only the flank Companies D and H reported higher casualties at 37 and 32 respectively.1

It is unclear from the records whether Oliver swam across the Potomac River or made the passage by boat. He owed his survival in large part to the resourcefulness of company commanders Henry Tremlett and Charles Whittier of Company A and William "Frank" Bartlett and Henry Abbott of Company I, who plotted an escape route along the river bank and remained until all the enlisted men made it safely across the river.2

The fight was made up of charges. You would see our capts. rush out in front & cry forward & their companies would follow them at full speed under a tremendous fire till they were obliged to fall back. And this was repeated over & over during the 4 hours fight…
The general [Baker] was killed ... & Col. Lee ordered a retreat... we all started down the bank, every body knowing, however, that there was no chance of an escape. The col. ordered a surrender & had a white flag raised but the rebels fired upon us & we were obliged to retreat to the river's edge, the rebels pouring down a murderous fire…

Abbott noted that Company A suffered heavy casualties during the battle. He observed, "Tremlett's company got the worst of it…" Abbott recounted his escape down the river bank with Captains Bartlett and Tremlett and Lieutenant Whittier and men from their respective companies, Companies I and A. The officers sent enlisted men across the river by fives in a boat, with the officers leaving last. He followed this observation with an expectation of reprisal: “The little midnight adventure of ours has started the whole thing: now we shall have our revenge...”

He concluded his letter optimistically, praising the endurance of the soldiers under heavy fire: “The good of the action is this. It shows the pluck of our men. They followed their commanders admirably, except in the last charge that we made…”1

Tuesday, October 22, 1861
The Twentieth Massachusetts suffered a devastating blow to their ranks at Ball’s Bluff. The regiment reported 87 killed or wounded and 111 captured, for a total of 198 casualties, a loss of approximately one-third of the regiment.

The casualties among the officers were catastrophic. The high command of the regiment were captured and taken prisoner by the Confederates. Colonel William R. Lee, Major Paul Revere, Adjutant Charles Peirson, and Assistant Surgeon E.H.R. Revere, as well as First Lieutenant George Perry of Company D, were reported captured. Major Revere was also wounded.

Among the officers killed were Second Lieutenant Reinhold Wesselhoeft of Company C, Second Lieutenant William Lowell Putnam of Company E, and Captain Alois Babo of Company G.

Among the officers wounded were First Lieutenant Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. of Company A, Captain Ferdinand Dreher of Company D, Captain George Schmidt and First Lieutenant James Lowell of Company E, and Captain John Putnam of Company H.1

Friday, October 21, 2011

Monday, October 21, 1861
After returning safely to Camp Benton, Henry Abbott, First Lieutenant of Company I, sent a letter by telegraph to his father, reassuring him that he had survived:

We miraculously escaped without a wound. All the officers of our co. that is. Half the men [of the regiment] killed & wounded ... George Perry is unwounded but a prisoner with the col., major & adjutant & Dr. Revere. We have [heard] from the rebels that they are well treated. There are a hundred of the regt. [which] came out [safely]. 2 or 3 capts. killed, & half the officers wounded…

Especially poignant is his report of the capture of Lieutenant George Perry, the fiance of Caroline Abbott, Henry's sister.1

Monday, October 21, 1861
Colonel William Raymond Lee, Major Paul Joseph Revere, Assistant Surgeon E.H.R. Revere, Adjutant Charles Lawrence Peirson and Lieutenant George Perry were captured early in the evening not far from Smart’s Mill. They were taken to a tavern in Leesburg, a makeshift headquarters for the Confederate commander, General Nathan Evans. He offered the officers of the Twentieth Massachusetts terms for parole, which would indemnify them from continued service in the war. They were provided a meager meal, and at midnight they began their march toward Richmond in a drenching rain. Most of the prisoners made the march on foot, but some of the officers who had been provided transport in a wagon switched places with enlisted wounded who were unable to march.1

Monday, October 21, 1861
Under the intense fire of battle and the grueling retreat the officers and enlisted men formed a bond of mutual respect and preservation. The officers behaved nobly, sacrificing their safety for the sake of the enlisted men. Colonel W. Raymond Lee, the commander of the regiment, followed this principle to his own detriment. During the retreat Captain William Bartlett of Company I found Colonel Lee sitting behind a tree. He refused to leave, saying that he would not leave his men, and felt that it was nobler to surrender to save the men from slaughter. Captain Bartlett and Adjutant Peirson each took one of Colonel Lee's arms and led him down the path to the riverbank to escape immediate capture or death. Colonel Lee refused to cross the river and abandon his wounded regiment, but encouraged and accompanied by other officers he sought a means of transport downriver near Smart's Mill, where he was captured by the Confederates.

At the riverbank Captains Bartlett and Tremlett and Lieutenants Abbott and Whittier took charge among their commands, Company I and A respectively, encouraging those men who were able to swim across the river while the officers covered their escape. Most of the men made it across to safety, and led by Captain Bartlett, the officers and remaining enlisted men raced along the riverbank towards Smart's Mill, the same route that Colonel Lee followed earlier. Captain Tremlett paid a man near Smart's Mill five dollars for a partially sunken skiff. Captain Bartlett directed the men across the river by fives. All the officers remained on the riverbank until every enlisted men was safely across the river except for Lieutenant Whittier, who was sent over to direct landings on the opposite shore.1

Monday, October 21, 1861
As the terrible events of Ball's Bluff unfolded, and the men of the Twentieth Massachusetts lined up along the Virginia side of the Potomac River, they were faced with the choice of swimming across the river or finding boats along the river bank to carry them across. Many of those that could swim made the attempt, and those that could not remained on the river bank. Either choice was equally perilous. Captain Alois Babo of Company G and his friend Second Lieutenant Reinhold Wesselhoeft of Company C attempted to swim. As they navigated the rough current of the Potomac River Captain Babo was shot by the pursuing Confederates lined along the heights of Ball's Bluff. In a valiant effort Lieutenant Wesselhoeft tried to save his friend from drowning but tragically he drowned in the attempt. Nearly two weeks later Lieutenant Wesselhoeft's lifeless body washed ashore nearly twenty miles downstream.1

Monday, October 21, 1861
The encounter between Union and Confederate forces at Ball’s Bluff began as a reconnaissance by the Union to determine the strength of the Confederate forces at Leesburg, Virginia. At 4:00 AM five companies of the Fifteenth Massachusetts regiment and seven companies of the Twentieth Massachusetts regiment crossed the Potomac River from Harrison’s Island, a strip of land between the Maryland and Virginia banks of the Potomac that served as a staging for their landing. The Fifteenth Massachusetts and Companies D and I of the Twentieth Massachusetts advanced up the steep slope, named Ball’s Bluff, on the Virginia side of the river, while the remaining companies of the Twentieth remained on reserve at the river bank. The Fifteenth Massachusetts advanced upon Leesburg and encountered Confederate fire. Colonel Edward Baker ordered the remainder of the Twentieth to scale Ball’s Bluff and, following orders of his superior, General Charles Stone, deployed additional regiments from Harrison’s Island to the Virginia shore. The Union forces encountered several regiments of Confederates along the heights of the bluff, and were pinned at the ridge. Union and Confederates exchanged a hailstorm of gunfire. The Union forces held their own for nearly three hours until 4:30 PM, when Colonel Baker, the senior officer on the field, was killed. The Union line began to unravel from right to left, and Union soldiers made a hasty retreat down the steep slopes of Ball’s Bluff. The Confederates lined along the heights of the bluff and showered gunfire upon the retreating Union forces, who had insufficient boats to carry them across the Potomac. Many of the Union soldiers who attempted to swim across the river were shot or drowned in the attempt. Those who remained on the riverbank risked capture by the Confederates.1

Welcome!

This Civil War history blog is dedicated to the outstanding military service of the Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment and to the memory of my ancestor, Private Oliver Stanton Bates of Company A. Each blog post marks the 150th anniversary of the original event during the Civil War.